Eric Wardell

• West Virginia University MA in Professional Writing and Editing 2013
• University of Minnesota Morris BA in History and English 2008
• Technical Communications Specialist at Bechtel Plant Machinery, Inc.
• Pittsburgh, PA

The thing that drew me to West Virginia University’s Professional Writing and Editing program was the inherent practicality and usefulness of the program. I was fascinated by its focus on real world writing and emphasis on practicing specific technical skills in the classroom and through internship opportunities.

I selected WVU’s PWE graduate program because I wanted a program that would help me investigate how writing extended beyond the typical English classroom and was relevant in multiple fields and studies like engineering, computer programming, or medicine. I was given the opportunity to explore these different writing environments at WVU through teaching senior level technical writing classes and through taking diverse graduate courses in both Rhetoric and technical writing.

I currently work as a technical writer for an engineering company in Pittsburgh that supports the United States Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program. I use what I’ve learned from the faculty and from interacting with my technical writing students at WVU to help produce the most user friendly, expertly and ethically written documents possible.

I owe a great deal to my experiences at WVU and believe that anyone who wants to apply exact and professional writing and editing skills to a professional or academic environment will find immeasurable value in this program.